Floor valve



E. F. HOWE FLOOR VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Deo. 14, 3.960

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FLOOR VALVE Filed Dec. 14, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O3,107,687 FLOOR VALVE Elra F. Howe, 8730 S. Corcoran Road, akiawn, lll.Filed Dec. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 75,735 1 Claim. (Cl. 137-362) Thisinvention relates .to a valve assembly, and more particularly to a valvekassembly mounting in a floor drain.

A floor drain valve such as that shown and described in my U.S. PatentNo. 2,869,727 may be installed in a floor drain opening, such as the endof tile or cast iron drain pipe or an internally .threaded cast ironfenrule, for preventing the back flow of water and sewage, and theentrance of gases and bugs upwardly through'the oor drain opening.Heretofore, installation of a iloor valve has been complicated by therequirement of special techniques in the use of sealing materials such-as lead and oakum, by the old drain opening having uneven or darnagedportions in the end of the drain pipe, or the threads on the threadedferrule being rusted or otherwise damaged.

It is, therefore, a new vand improved primary feature of this inventionIto provide a rugged, effective assembly.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a new and improvedvalve assembly including a device in which opposite ends of a resilientcollar are seated in coaxially spaced seats adjustably mounted on avalve body for reducing the spacing between the seats to expand thecollar into tight engagement with the inner surface of a drain opening.A further feature is the provision of such an adjustable seat mountingdevice in the form of a valve body having -a tubular jacket with one endadjustably threadedly received in a floor ring and with one seat on thetubular jacket and the other seat on the floor ring. A further featureis the provision in such a mounting device of means on the interior ofthe tubular jacket for turning the jacket in the 'threaded connectionwith the oor ring to adjust the spacing between the seats.

Further features and advantages will be readily apparent from thefollowing description and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section of a valve assembly embodying theinvention and installed in a floor drain pipe, with the valve closed;

-FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line 3-3in FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section similar to that of FIG- URE l, but withthe valve open;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of a portion of the assemblyprior to installation thereof in the iloor drain opening;

fFIGURE 6 is a fragment-ary vertical section of the assembly installedin a -iloor drain threaded ferrule; and

FIGURE 7 is a broken, diametric section of a tool for use in installingthe assembly in a floor drain opening.

The invention is, in brief, directed to a valve assembly in which avalve body includes a floor ring threadedly receiving a tubular jacket,and in which a resilient collar having opposite ends seated in seats onthe jacket and ring, respectively, is deformed outwardly into engagementwith the inner surface of a floor drain opening whenthe collar islongitudinally compressed by turning the jacket in the threadedconnection with the ring for moving the seats `toward each other. Avalve is seated on the end of lthe tubular `jacket opposite the ring,and has a valve stem extending longitudinally through the tubular jacketwith an end adjacent the ring detachably receiving a valve actuatingdevice which cooperates with the ring for opening the valve. By removingthe actuating device, and a strainer basket, which may be provided, atool may be ICC inserted into the tubular jacket for engagingprotrusions extending inwardly from the tubularjacket for turning thejacket to move the seats toward or away from each other, therebyexpanding or loosening the resilient collar.

Referring to the drawings, a valve assembly V, which is fully describedin my aforementioned patent, comprises, in brief, a valve body 10including a tubular jacket 11 having opposite ends, and a catch in theform of a floor ring 12 on one end of the tubular jacket. The floor ringis preferably even with the oor level. A valve seat on the opposite endof :the tubular jacket receives a movable valve in the form of aresilient ball 13 secured to a valve stern in the form of a threaded rod14 extending longitudinally in the valve body 10. This stern has an endadjacent the floor ring 12 detachably and loosely receiving a socketportion of a valve -actuator in the form of a strainer 17 adjustablypositioned on the valve stem 14 by a nut 16, for positioning `the valveactuator even with the floor ring 12 and the oor level. The valve 13 ismaintained in a normally closed position by means ofv a compressionspring 18 received between a nut 19 on the valve stem 14, for adjustingthe closing force of the spring, and a guide bar 20 mounted in notchesin the inner surface of the tubular jacket 11, and having a centralaperf ture through which the valve stem 14 passes, for guiding the stem.The valve 13 is opened by depressing the valve actuator 15 and engagingit under an inwardly extending flange 21 on the floor ring 12.

In addition, if desired, a strainer basket 17 may be positioned on thevalve stem 14 between the valve actuator 15 and the nut 16. 'I'he valve13 is preferably a resilient hollow ball and is prevented from beingsqueezed into the tubular jacket 13 by a cupped washer 22, on the valvestern 14, vwhich tightly engages the top of the ball. -Closing movementof the valve V13 may be limited by an abutment in the form of nuts 23 onthe valve stem.

In the mounting device M an exterior thread 25 is pro.- vided on theoutside .of the tubular jacket 11 `and is threadedly received in acooperatingthread in the floor ring 12 for longitudinal adjustmentbetween -a seat .27, in the form of an outwardly extending radial angeon the outer end of the door ring 12, and a seat 28 on a seat r-ing 29rotatably received on the tubular jacket 11 and maintainedlongitudinally positioned by engagement on an abutment in the form of annteriorly threaded abutment ring 30, threadedly received on the exteriorthreads 25 of the tubular jacket 111 for longitudinal, axial adjustmentof the seat 28. -Means in the form of a set screw 31 threadedly receivedin the ring 30 and engaging the tubular jacket 11 is provided formaintaining .the ring fixed in adjusted position. Clamping means, in theform of a resilient cylindrical collar 35, preferably of rubber, orrubber impregnated with cord, or other suitable plastic material,encircles the valve body 10 and has opposite ends seated respectively inthe seat 27 and the seat 28. The collar 35 is arranged in Such la manneras to be bulged outwardly and into tight frictional `and sealingengagement with the inner side surface 36 of the open end of acylindrical support, such as a drain pipe 37 which is suitably installed-in a oor 3S. The bulging of the resilient cylindrical collar 35 lisdirected outwardly because of the outer surface 32 of floor ring 12which engages the inner surface of the resilient cylindrical collar 35,as illustrated in FIGURE 5, for preventing inward deformation of thecollar.

By removing the valve actuator 15 and the strainer basket 17, if used,from the valve body, means in the form of a pair of set screws 4t),threadedly received in the tubular jacket 11 and extending into interiorof the tubular jacket, may be engaged by notches 41 in a cylindricalbody 42 of a tool 43 (FIGURE 7). Tool 43 is provided with a handle 44for 4turning the tubular j-acket 11 in the ring 12 and moving the seat28 toward the seat 27 to outwardly deform the resilient cylindricalcoll-ar 35 from the original flat sidewall .condition illustrated inFIGURE 5, to 4the distended condition illustrated in FIGURES l and 4wherein it tightly engages the inner side surface 36 of the drain pipe37.'

FIGURE 6 illustrates the valve assembly secured in a cylindrical supportsuch as a threaded ferrule 47, suitably installed in the licor 38, andhaving an interior threaded portion 4S engaged by fthe resilientcylindrical collar 35. It should be noted that the iiange forming theseat 27 extends outwardly into contact with lthe rtop of fthe ferrule 47which is recessed below the loor level.

The mounting device M facilitates mounting of the valve `assembly V inany suitable oor drain opening by merely removing the valve actuator 15and :the strainer basket 17 and inserting the tool 43 into the tubularjacket 11- until the notches 41 engage the set screws 49, Whereupon thetubular jacket 11 may be threadedly turned in the iloor ring 12 to movethe seat 281 toward the seat 27 without rotating the resilientcylindrical collar 35, thereby compressing the collar and expanding itinto engagement with the inner surface of the drain pipe. By reversingthe turning of the 'tubular jacket 1,1 the valve assembly may be removedfrom the drain pipe. "In addition to providing a rugged and easilyinstalled mounting arrangement for a valve assembly, leakage of water orSewage around the valve body is prevented by the ltight engagement ofthe resilient cylindrical collar 35 with the drain opening.

While l have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, itis toA be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes,therefore, in the constmction and arrangement may be made Withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention Aas disclosed inthe appended claim.

I claim:

An assembly for selectively closing a generally cylini edly received onone of said ends for movement longitudinally of said jacket; a valveseat on the opposite end of said jacket; a valve cooperating with saidvalve seat;

engaging said stem end for opening said valve, said iioor ring and saidvalve actuator being generally llush with each other in ythe closedposition of the valve; a seat on said iloor ring extending outwardlythererom; an abutment comprising a ring threadedly receive-don saidtubu.

lar jacket for adjustment longitudinally thereof; means for maintainingsaid abutment adjustably positioned on said tubular jacket; a seatcomprising a ring rotatably encasing said jacket `and freely seated onsaid abutment; a resilient cylindrical collar having side wallsdeformable outwardly for engaging the inner side surface of saidcylindrical member, and opposite ends respectively seated in said seats;and means secured to and extending into said jacket for Iturning saidjacket when said valve actuator is detached from said stern, wherebysaid 'collar is non-rotatably mounted on said floor ring and rotatablewith respect to said jacket and is deformable into tight engagement withthe inner Side surface of said cylindrical member by turning said jacketto move said seats toward each other thereby compressing said collar.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.23,748 Barber Dec. l, 1953 262,953 JaIeCki Aug. 22, 1882 618,284 OBlien`Ian. 24, 1899 1,639,248 Zolleis Augf16, 1927 1,649,895 Gade NOV. 22,1927 2,702,391 Schmid Feb. 22, 1955 2,757,752 Kaufman Aug. 7, 19562,758,664 Koenig Aug. 14, 1956 2,869,727 Howe Jan. 20, 1959 FOREIGNPATENTS 538,890 Canada Feb. 2, 1957

